The Day The NBA Wrapped Itself Around LeBron’s Finger

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We're not going to say Isaiah Thomas and LeBron James hate each other, but we're not going to not say that, if you know what we mean.

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Just before 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, or about 13 hours before the NBA trade deadline, the human scoop otherwise known as Adrian Wojnarowski faked the basketball world out of its collective pair of shoes, telling his 2 million-plus followers that the fast-approaching deadline was looking like it would be something of a dud.

As NBA GM’s prepared for the final hours to the trade deadline, there was little enthusiasm for an impactful final day of player movement. Deals, yes. Difference-makers? Not so much.

He was wrong. Around noon on Thursday, the trade deadline quickly ramped up into hyper-speed, when Woj himself sent out another bomb stating that the Cleveland Cavaliers were trading away Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye anda protected 2018 first-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. From there, it only got more obscene.

To try and process the head-spinning ridiculousness of it all, we decided to just open a group chat and process everything together. For transparency’s sake, Travis is a Washington Wizards fan, Ja’han is a Phoenix Suns fan and Maxwell is a Lakers fan.

[1:30 PM]

Maxwell Strachan: OK, it’s 1:30 p.m. and the Cleveland Cavaliers have just blown up the NBA.

Travis Waldron: I still don’t know what to make of it, other than the NBA is magic. This was supposed to be a slow day!

Travis Waldron: Only in the NBA ― and only in LeBron World, really ― could we get a game as a dramatic as that Cavs-TimberPups thriller last night ... only to see an entire new Cavs roster tomorrow night.

Travis Waldron: They flipped a bunch of parts that weren’t working/didn’t get along/couldn’t trust Kevin Love for three dudes under 25 ... and they kept the Brooklyn pick (so far)! They still royally screwed up the Kyrie trade this summer, but this was about as good as you could do to get out of it.

Maxwell Strachan: I love it for the Cavs. If LeBron leaves, they aren’t making the finals for another decade anyway, might as well go out in firing. Again, I’d throw out the Brooklyn pick and just give it one more go. They are going to have a decade’s worth of top-10 picks post-LeBron anyway.

Travis Waldron: Hold on I have to check Twitter in case Woj is still bombing us.

Maxwell Strachan: In 16 tweets, Woj broke the internet.

Twitter

Twitter

Ja’han Jones: That man’s end-of-the-day unwinding routine has to be CRAZY.

Maxwell Strachan: I would be scared to have that power.

Travis Waldron: I’m going to regret saying this but my favorite part of this deadline is still that Ernie Grunfeld hasn’t traded a first-round pick for an aging role player who won’t still be in Washington this summer. Day is young, though.

Travis Waldron: It doesn’t matter this year. The question for me is where he ends up this summer. And I’m sorry but lots of people care about the Wizards. Me, John Wall, maybe Bradley Beal. That’s 2.5.

Maxwell Strachan: The most likely scenario is he sucks less than he did in Cleveland, then the Lakers move on in order to sign ... LEBRON JAMES.

Maxwell Strachan: By the way, the Cavs just cleared the way for the Lakers to sign LeBron.

Ja’han Jones: LeBron going to the Lakers is both a nightmare and a dream for me.

Travis Waldron: This is all a ploy to keep LeBron from signing in LA. “Oh, you want to go to the Lakers. We’ll just give the Lakers the guy you hate the most.”

Maxwell Strachan: Strong disagree! Lakers are playing chess. What would LeBron love more than to sign with the Lakers and screw up Thomas’ life once again?

Travis Waldron: I like this move for the Lakers. Even LeBron potential aside.

Ja’han Jones: I DESPISE the Lakers and wish them nothing but ill, non-injurious will. But the idea of that franchise hanging on the every word of a man they’ve spent a decade loathing brings me some happiness.

Travis Waldron: But we have to get back to the central point, which is that LeBron James is quite possibly the most powerful man in the history of pro basketball. The Cavs just flipped their entire roster *with no guarantee that LeBron is going to stay.*

Ja’han Jones: For real! Like, after Big O, I think ’Bron is the most influential player in league history when it comes to the business of the league and how players determine their own future.

[1:45 PM]

Travis Waldron: Right, Big O is up there. But LeBron has now engineered, what, three of the biggest off-the-court, landscape-shifting days in recent NBA history.

Maxwell Strachan: It’s fine. They gotta go for it.

Travis Waldron: The Decision, I’m Coming Home, and now this?

Maxwell Strachan: And the Lakers now are set up to get Paul George and be able to keep Lonzo, Kuzma, Ingram and Randle

Travis Waldron: Stop talking about the Lakers.

Maxwell Strachan: Everyone will understand if he leaves. The Lakers are the NBA’s team! People hate [Cavaliers owners Dan] Gilbert enough that I think people won’t be mad if LeBron leaves. Or am I wrong?

Travis Waldron: We’ve got LeBron James blowing up the entire league and you want to talk about Julius Randle. I went to Kentucky and I don’t even care that much about Julius Randle.

Maxwell Strachan: A critical piece of the NBA puzzle! As an aside, Woj mini-alert ...

Travis Waldron: Every time I see Woj tweet I get excited and now he wants me to care about Devin Harris. ANNOUNCE DEANDRE.

Maxwell Strachan: Is this a good trade? I guess I dig this trade for the Knicks. Trade a serviceable role player for a reclamation project that was drafted near the top of the draft just a couple years ago.

(As an aside, from a friend: “i have 10 tabs open and 6 of them are woj tweets.”)

Travis Waldron: Who cares.

Maxwell Strachan: I’m going to go to my Knicks friends for reactions.

Travis Waldron: I don’t care about anything but Tristan for DeAndre.

Maxwell Strachan: It’s happening. I believe.

Ja’han Jones: I feel for Tristan. Dude never asked to play the five, yet we judge him on his inability to do so. Lol

The Cavs had conversations with the Clippers regarding DeAndre Jordan Thursday morning but by the time things got more serious, the Cavs already had more momentum on several other deals and liked the idea of adding more athleticism, youth and depth better.

Maxwell Strachan: Thirty more minutes. I think Woj has one more bomb in him.

Travis Waldron: That means ... Oubre for DAJ is happening. I’m going to hate the NBA by the end of this.

Ja’han Jones: Where is Kyle Singler going to end up? That’s the real question.

Maxwell Strachan: I feel like there will be some automated high-frequency trades in the final 60 seconds. Ja’han always asks the right questions.

Ja’han Jones: I know everyone is wondering.

[2:30 PM]

Maxwell Strachan: Here’s another guy who has had one foot out the door for a half-decade.

Sources: There's still hope within Kenneth Faried's camp that Denver will find a trade for Kenneth Faried and allow him a fresh start elsewhere. Denver has been talking to teams -- including Indiana -- but those haven't resulted in a deal.

Maxwell Strachan: My friend who doesn’t spend all day on the internet just texted: “Isaiah a laker?” What a tranquil life he leads.

Ja’han Jones: Wow, what a blessing.

[2:40 PM]

Ja’han Jones: I’ve missed a bunch of Cavs games lately. Do either of you brothers know whether Cedi Osman is developing well?

A Cavs source tells ESPN that Cleveland wanted to "do right" by Dwyane Wade once the acquisition of Jordan Clarkson, combined with the youth movement of Cedi Osman, made it clear Wade's role would be reduced. Wade, his representative Leon Rose and LeBron James were all consulted

Maxwell Strachan: Wrong. I believe the Lakers won. Going to just step outside my box and say that. Today, we not only obtained a first-round pick, but essentially signed Paul George and LeBron James.

Travis Waldron: Short-term, over the next few months, I think Cleveland did a thing that counts as a win, but that’s largely because they did an offseason that was a loss. But I think they’re better positioned to win the East today than they were yesterday. Long-term, the Lakers had a good day.

Maxwell Strachan: Thank you Travis. Thank you for speaking truth to power.

Ja’han Jones: I was going to say Lakers, but I hesitated because I don’t know what ultimately happens with that space they’ve made. Cavs today, potentially Lakers down the road assuming they don’t make all-time bad mistakes in the offseason.

Maxwell Strachan: Sheldon Mac is not the last-minute explosion I was hoping for.

Ja’han Jones: I mean, we were playing Isaiah Canaan at point, Mike James before we let him go (Lol), Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker (against his wishes). We literally just need someone who can get the ball across half-court and pass it to Devin.